Tool for binding cable harnesses

ABSTRACT

Cable assemblies are to be bound by means of a strap whose ends are held by a lock member. The improved appliance comprises an elongated body with a holder for a lock member to be fixed and a magazine for lock members extending parallel to the body. The magazine is pivoted so that the magazine mouth can be moved towards the holder to push lock members through a guide duct joining the magazine mouth and the holder. When the magazine is subsequently moved away from the holder the mouth is opposite an empty part of the guide duct and another lock member from the magazine is urged into the empty space. To load the magazine, the lock members are attached to a flexible belt and are fed into guides. One guide leads the lock members into the magazine and the guide leads the belt first parallel to the lock member guide then sharply away from this to separate the belt from the lock members.

United States Patent Inventor Heinrich Kabel Quickborn Holstein, Germany Appl. No. 773,217 Filed Nov. 4, 1968 Patented Jan. 12, 1971 Assignee Paul I ellermann G. M. b. H.

Pinneberg, Germany Priority Nov. 14, 1967 Germany 64464 Pat. 1,640,415

TOOL FOR BINDING CABLE HARNESSES 4 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl. 221/227 Int. Cl. B65h 1/08 Field of Search 100/ 1; 221/226, 227, 198, 232; 24/68 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1954 Patterson 221 /232X 3,020,704 2/1962 Stegmaier 22'1/232x Primary Examiner-Stanley H. Tollberg Atrorney-Dezsoe Steinherz ABSTRACT: Cable assemblies are to be bound by means of a strap whose ends are held by a lock member. The improved appliance comprises an elongated body with a holder for a lock member to be fixed and a magazine for lock members extending parallel to the body. The magazine is pivoted so that the magazine mouth can be moved towards the holder to push lock members through a guide duct joining the magazine mouth and the holder. When the magazine is subsequently moved away from the holder the mouth is opposite an empty part of the guide duct and another lock member from themagazine is urged into the empty space. To load the magazine, the lock members are attached to a flexible belt and are fed into guides. One guide leads the lock members into the magazine and the guide leads the belt first parallel to the lock member guide then sharply away from this to separate the belt from the lock members.

PATENTEDJAN Z IQII $554,405

' SHEET 1 052 lave/liar:

HEIN RICH KA BEL DEZ-SOE STEINHERJ- I TOOL FOR BINDING CABLE HARNESSES This invention relates to an appliancefor binding cable assemblies or the like by means of a strap, whose ends are fastened by a lock member, which appliancecomprises a longitudinally extended tool body, which has at the front end a holding member for the lock member to be processed, a magazine fitted parallel to the tool body for a plurality of lock members, and devices for transferringv the particular, lock member located at the mouth of the magazine into the holding magazine mouth being releasedby a mechanism actuated by the pivoting movement and pushed by spring force into the v holding member of the tool. This magazine arrangement an operation is comparatively complicated.

One object of the invention is to provide an appliance for binding cable assemblies of the kind mentioned above, but

which is provided with a magazine which is more simply constructed and simpler to operate.

This object is attained in accordance with the invention in I that the mouth of the magazine, which is arranged next tothe holding member for the lock member to be processed, is connected with the said holding member by a guide duct, through which the particular lock member located at any instant in the magazine mouth, can be pushed into the holding member by means of a thrust device.

The magazine therefore maintains continuously its position substantially parallel to the tool body. The device for thrusting the lock member located in the mouth of the magazine to the holding member, is only required from time to time.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention the magazine can be swiveled in such away that the magazine mouth can be brought nearer the holding member by atleast 2 modified construction, the section being talien on th'e'side of the magazine farthest from the front plate,

FIG. 7 shows a cross-section of 'a detail of the magazine shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, and

FIGS. 8 and 9 are respectivelycross-sectional and elevational views on a larger scale of a belt of lock members.

As diagrammatically indicated in FIGS. I to 3 a tool body 301 has a front plate 302 with a cutaway portion 303 as a holding member for a lock member 304'to be locked. The closure and cutting devices are merely indicated at 305. Parallel to the tool body 301 lies a magazine 306 holding a plurality of lock members, which areimpelledby a spring device 307 in the direction of the arrow. In the'front part of the "tool is located a transverse duct, partly visible at-308 in FIG. 3;leatling from the magazine mouth to the holding member 303. This duct is made comparatively narrow, so that-it holds the lock members located therein by friction. A wall part 309 of the magazine projects into the duct, The magazine'is pivotable as can be seen by reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, about an axis perpendicular to the plane of representation.

; The apparatus operates as follows:

When the lock member 304 located in the holding member I 303 is locked and removed, the holding member' 303 is free the width of one lock member, and the guide duct exerts a greater frictional force on the foremost lockmember of the magazine located therein than on the second foremost lock member located behind this inv the magazine. Here the magazine itself is the thrust device.

The filling of the magazine is also a problem in the case of known appliances, since the lock members have to be filled individually into the magazine, care havingto be taken regarding the correct positioning of each lock member in the member, with protuberances or recesses adapted to the slots, bores or dowel-type projections of the lock members, on

which protuberances or in which recesses the lock members are pushed, and that the magazine is provided with-guide devices for the lock members and forthe holding strips, of

which the guide device for the lock members leads into a ducttype magazine chamber-accommodating the lock members, while the guide device for the strip extends first of all at a slight distance (corresponding to the cross-sectional construction of the supply strip) from the guide device for the lock members, and is then separated from this at anacute angle.

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be panying drawings in which: I r

FIGS. 1 to 3 show longitudinal sectional viewsofa tool, ina plane common'to the holding device for the lock member and described by way of examplewith referenceto' the accomv the lock member magazine, each with the parts in a different stage ofoperations, 3

FIGS. 4 to 6 show longitudinal sectional views of. alock. member magazine similar to that of FIGS. 1 to .3 but of (FIG. 2). The magazine 306 is then pressed by hand in the direction of the arrow 310 (FIG. 3) towards the'holding member 303, by which the lock member 311 located in the duct 308 is pushed into the holding member 303. The lock member-3l2 now assumes the position formerly held by the lock member 311. After the return of the magazine from the position in FIGJ3 under the action of a spring (not shown) into the position shown in FIG. l,'the lock member 313 is pushed by the spring device 307 forward into'the duct to the position assumed in FIG. 1 by the lock member 312. This sequence of events is repeated each time a lock member is removed from the holding member 303.

In order to facilitate the loading of the magazine with lock members it is preferred to use the embodiment shown in FIGS.

finger 506 projecting through theslot 502. Components 507 form'an insertion device for a row of lock members, which appears partly in side view in FIG.'9, while'FIG. 8 shows a cross section. It consists of a belt 508, which has on a base 509 dowel-type projections 510 spaced apart by a distance equal to the width of one lock member 504. On these dowels'the lock-members are applied in continuous rows and are held by the friction of the dowels '510 in the bores of the lock me'r'n bers. The insertion device 507'has a guide duct sll for the row of lock members and a narrower guide duct 512 forthe belt508, which are separated by a projection 513,]as can best be seenfrom the cross section shown in FIG. 7. The guide duct 511 opens into the magazine duct 50,1,whilethefguide-duct 512 forthe belt or strip extends first of all adjacent and paral lel to the guide duct 51 land then separates from it'at an acute angle at-5l4, to leave the tool body again at'5I5.

The mode of operation of the apparatus is-as follows:

When with the aid of finger 506 the rant- 505 15 moved-to and held in the retractedposition shown in FIGS. v t and'S ahd a lock member strip or belt is fed in the direction of the arrow 516 into the insertion device, the lock members travel through the duct 511 as indicated in FIG. 5 into the duct 501 (FIG. 6), while the belt 508, guided through the ducts-5I2;5l4, 515, is

pushed further out, by which the lock members are separated 'fromthe belt.

The. apparatus offers the advantage that the lock members are available in a large unit corresponding to the dimensions of the magazine,=.which unit can be inserted in a simple' manner-intothe magazine, and that the lock--members nevertheless are not reciprocally fixed in the magazine, but can be removedone by one from the said magazine without any resistance. Y

I claim:

1. In an appliance for binding cable assemblies or the like by means of a strap whose ends are held by a lock member having a bore, said appliance comprising:

a. a magazine for holding said lock members; and

b. a storage belt of l ck members for filling said magazine;

the improvement that c. said lock members are held by a holding belt;

d. said holding belt is provided with protuberances adapted in shape to said bores of the lock members;

1. said protuberances being at spaced distances equal to the width of one said lock member; and 2. said lock members being placed on said protuberances;

e. first guide means for the lock members;

f. second guide means for the holding belt;

g. a ductlike magazine chamber in said chamber,

h. said first guide means leading into said ductlike magazine chamber and said second guide means extending first at a slight distance, corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of said holding belt, from the first guide means and then separating from said first guide means at an acute angle.

2. In an appliance for binding cable assemblies or the like by means of a strap whose ends are held by a lock member having a dowel-type projection said, appliance comprising:

a. a magazine for holding said lock members; and

b. a storage belt of lock members for filling said magazine;

the improvement that;

c. said lock members are held by a holding belt,

d. said holding belt is provided with recesses adapted in shape to said projections of the lock members;

I said recesses being at spaced distances equal to the width of one said lock member, and 2. said lock members being placed in said recesses;

e. first guide means for the lock members,

f. second guide means for the holding belt,

g. a ductlike magazine chamber in said chamber,

h. said first guide means leading into said ductlike magazine chamber and said second guide means extending first at a ing an outlet mouth therefor; said magazine being normally disposed substantially parallel to said elongated tool body but being tiltable so as to bring said mouth nearer to said holding means by at least the width of one of said .lock members; a guide duct connecting said magazine mouth with said holding means adapted to receive said lock members slideably therein for transferring the latter from said magazine to said holding means, said guide duct being constructed so as to subject the foremost lock member located therein to a frictional force greater than that exerted on the second foremost lock member; and thrust means for pushing said lock members from said magazine through said mouth thereof and said guide duct towards said holding means.

4. In an appliance for binding cable assemblies or the like by means of straps whose ends are secured by lock members, an elongated tool body having a front end; holding means for said lock members, said holding means being arranged at and rigidly connected to said front end of the elongated tool body;

a magazine adapted to contain a plurality of said lock members, said magazine being disposed substantially parallel to said elongated tool body and having an outlet mouth for said lock members; guide duct means stationary relative to said tool body and forming a rigid unit therewith, said guide duct means extending from said magazine mouth to said holding means for receiving transferring the lat er from said mouth to said holding means;

and thrust means for pushing said lock members from said magazine towards said guide duct means and said holding means.

said lock members slideably therein and 

1. In an appliance for binding cable assemblies or the like by means of a strap whose ends are held by a lock member having a bore, said appliance comprising: a. a magazine for holding said lock members; and b. a storage belt of lock members for filling said magazine; the improvement that c. said lock members are held by a holding belt; d. said holding belt is provided with protuberances adapted in shape to said bores of the lock members;
 1. said protuberances being at spaced distances equal to the width of one said lock member; and
 2. said lock members being placed on said protuberances; e. first guide means for the lock members; f. second guide means for the holding belt; g. a ductlike magazine chamber in said chamber, h. said first guide means leading into said ductlike magazine chamber and said second guide means extending first at a slight distance, corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of said holding belt, from the first guide means and then separating from said first guide means at an acute angle.
 2. said lock members being placed in said recesses; e. first guide means for the lock members, f. second guide means for the holding belt, g. a ductlike magazine chamber in said chamber, h. said first guide means leading into said ductlike magazine chamber and said second guide means extending first at a slight distance, corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of said holding belt, from the first guide means and then separating from said first guide means at an acute angle.
 2. In an appliance for binding cable assemblies or the like by means of a strap whose ends are held by a lock member having a dowel-type projection said, appliance comprising: a. a magazine for holding said lock members; and b. a storage belt of lock members for filling said magazine; the improvement that; c. said lock members are held by a holding belt, d. said holding belt is provided with recesses adapted in shape to said projections of the lock members;
 2. said lock members being placed on said protuberances; e. first guide means for the lock members; f. second guide means for the holding belt; g. a ductlike magazine chamber in said chamber, h. said first guide means leading into said ductlike magazine chamber and said second guide means extending first at a slight distance, corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of said holding belt, from the first guide means and then separating from said first guide means at an acute angle.
 3. In an appliance for binding cable assemblies or the like by means of straps whose ends Are secured by lock members, an elongated tool body having a front end; holding means for said lock members, said holding means being arranged at said front end of the elongated tool body; a pivotally mounted magazine adapted to contain a plurality of said lock members and having an outlet mouth therefor; said magazine being normally disposed substantially parallel to said elongated tool body but being tiltable so as to bring said mouth nearer to said holding means by at least the width of one of said lock members; a guide duct connecting said magazine mouth with said holding means adapted to receive said lock members slideably therein for transferring the latter from said magazine to said holding means, said guide duct being constructed so as to subject the foremost lock member located therein to a frictional force greater than that exerted on the second foremost lock member; and thrust means for pushing said lock members from said magazine through said mouth thereof and said guide duct towards said holding means.
 4. In an appliance for binding cable assemblies or the like by means of straps whose ends are secured by lock members, an elongated tool body having a front end; holding means for said lock members, said holding means being arranged at and rigidly connected to said front end of the elongated tool body; a magazine adapted to contain a plurality of said lock members, said magazine being disposed substantially parallel to said elongated tool body and having an outlet mouth for said lock members; guide duct means stationary relative to said tool body and forming a rigid unit therewith, said guide duct means extending from said magazine mouth to said holding means for receiving said lock members slideably therein and transferring the latter from said mouth to said holding means; and thrust means for pushing said lock members from said magazine towards said guide duct means and said holding means. 